


new and uncertain possibilities

by orphan_account



Category: Dangan Ronpa, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: F/F, Fix-It, Fluff and Angst, Gen, not really though... mostly fluff, update: this will never be finished im sorry :(
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-25
Updated: 2015-07-22
Packaged: 2018-03-25 15:42:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,622
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3815923
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>limbo [ˈlimbō]: an uncertain period of awaiting a decision or resolution; an intermediate state or condition.</p><p>Sometimes, when the circumstances are right and there’s just enough possibility left untapped, a little bubble can form in reality. Maybe not Reality with a capital R, but something real enough for the cracks between existence and oblivion to expand and flourish into something.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

A girl woke to the feeling of thick grass underneath her. She blinked, her eyes adjusting to the sunlight trickling through the treetops. What was she doing here?

Raising a bandaged hand to her eyes instinctively, Tsumiki scanned her surroundings. She appeared to be sitting inside a small grassy field encircled by trees. The grass had a striking resemblance to a lush green carpet, the illusion shattered only by tiny patches of mushrooms dotting the vibrant greenery. Tsumiki searched as far as she could see into the distance, hoping there might be some signs of civilization, but if there was it was obscured by the densely packed,  gigantic pine and chestnut trees. She supposes that it's best not to get her hopes up. Anyway, the forest doesn't seem to be too terrible of a place to stay even without the usual commodities of... life.

Thinking about life before the forest hurts her head, so Tsumiki abandons that particular train of thought. Even as she thought about the forming headache, the concept of modern technology becomes more of a disjointed concept from the context it would have been used in before... before _this_. Mentally shaking off these unsettling ideas to deal with them later, Tsumiki continues to look around  The sun was bright but not overpowering, the trees casting intricate shadows over the brush, and…

She wasn’t alone.

Another girl, hidden enough by the shade and leaves to be easily missed, was across the open area. She rested her back against a thick tree trunk, and looked like she was... hunched over? Yes, now that Tsumiki had noticed her, she seemed to be focused on some type of handheld console; despite her unassuming appearance, she had a quiet intensity about her.

Tsumiki felt a slight nervous flutter in her stomach as she realized if she wanted to get answers about this whole situation, she would have to talk to the only other person she could see. Eyes flitting around the forest and finally settling on just looking down, Tsumiki began to slowly walk across the clearing.

“H-hi.” The still-sitting girl didn’t even look up as Tsumiki stepped into a pile of leaves, crunching noises stretched out for a painfully long period of time as the leaves' nervous executioner tried to get the other's attention without actually having to say anything more. Tsumiki stood there, shuffling her feet in the leaf pile every now and then, staring down at the teen bathed in the pale, flashing light from the handheld. The girl pressed buttons with a calculated dexterity, wrinkling her nose ever-so-slightly when something in her game didn't go as she had planned it to. Just as Tsumiki started to think about trying to rough it in the woods by herself, the other girl stood up.

“Ah. I see you woke up, then.” The shorter teen slid her console out of view, probably into a hidden pocket. "Sorry I didn't say anything sooner, I had to find a save point."

“Ah, it's fine... Who… are you? I mean, uh, where are we? If that’s okay for me to ask… Um, I’m Tsumiki! Tsumiki Mikan, if you wanted to know, I mean it’s not really that important but l, uh…” She began to trail off, throat closing up. 

The pink haired girl sighed. “I’m Nanami, Nanami Chiaki. To be perfectly honest, I don’t remember much of anything, just my name and waking up here. I have a feeling it’s the same for you?” Nanami... had she heard that name before? 

Tsumiki nodded.

“Yeah, I thought so. Do you want to look around and see what we find?” Nodding once again, the taller girl felt the knot in her stomach beginning to unwind. It doesn't seem to be too bad here, especially with someone else that's experiencing the same odd memory loss.

“Sure… I’ll go w-wherever you want to, Nanami-san.” Tsumiki gave a nervous smile, tapping her fingers together in quiet excitement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this'll continue for a few chapters, probably! whenever i can get around to writing them, at least :-)


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I completely forgot about this OTL... I know these chapters are tiny too, I'll hopefully start making them longer soon

Leaves crunched under the pair's shoes as they began their trek into the woods.

"...You don't remember anything other than your name, right?" Nanami could see her companion was caught slightly off guard by her question, so she continued to clarify. "So why do we have... these mannerisms? Why can we even speak? Wouldn't we have to be taught them at some point, and therefore have it stored in our memory?"

"O-oh, uh. I think it's because memory retrieval is often interpreted in a different part of the brain from speech interpretation."

"..."

"W-wait, what? How do I- I mean why could I..." Tsumiki stopped mid-step, shocked by her seemingly reflexive explanation of memory.

"Why could you remember that about the brain? That's what I'm wondering... Unless only certain parts of our memories have been altered and it's up to us to regain them." Nanami stopped walking as well and turned to face Tsumiki.

"I don't mean to interrupt your thinking, but, um, I feel like... like I- I've been through this before, somehow." Tears begin to form in the corner of Tsumiki’s eyes and she lets out a soft whine. "I don't l-like this feeling, Nanami-san."

"It's okay, Tsumiki-san. I don't really understand it either, but I feel like this place isn't dangerous. And if I turn out to be wrong, at least we have each other." Nanami held out her hand. "...We could hold hands, if you want. For safety."

Tsumiki turned bright red and started to babble. "I- I don't really know about- uh, I mean I don't want you feel pressured to touch someone like me, much less do something so- so... i-intimate! I'm s-sorry about being nervous, really, I'm f-fine now."

Tsumiki was obviously still shaken, but Nanami didn't want to press the issue too far.

“Alright, I guess we should just… press on.”

Nanami started walking again, Tsumiki falling into a steady pace behind her. Bird calls echoed through the treetops and insects hummed on the forest floor. The rhythm of leaves crunching wherever they stepped was a constant, the crackling painting a backdrop for the other assorted melodies to arrange themselves on.

A sharp cry and sudden weight on Nanami's back broke the serenity and made her stumble forward. Turning around, Nanami found Tsumiki on the ground furiously apologizing for letting her guard down and tripping on a tree root and, as her pleas grew more hysterical, for burdening Nanami by being born. Tears were smeared across Tsumiki's face and snot ran out of her nose, painting the unfortunate portrait of an ugly crier.

"Tsumiki. Please look at me." The shock of Nanami's gently spoken but stern words made Tsumiki obey blindly. "I don't hate you, and it was a simple mistake. You just tripped and bumped into me."

"B-but I might have hurt you!"

Nanami shook her head. "I'm fine. Are _you_ hurt? You're the one that took the brunt of the fall." Tsumiki numbly assessed her body for injuries, wincing when she prodded her right ankle.

"Um, I think I have a sprained ankle... I can't walk on it without making it worse. Ice would be the best treatment. I'll wrap it for compression, b-but I s-shouldn't stand up without help." Tsumiki's seemingly never-ending tears began to well up again.

"Then I'll help you. Someone has to live around here, and I'm sure they'll have ice. I'll help support your right side and we can try to walk slowly." Nanami gave a reassuring smile that made her seem much more sure about her plan than she actually was. Nanami was used to pretending.

"Y-you would really do something like that for me?" Tsumiki looked at Nanami in awe, even as little nagging thoughts in the back of her head told her it was just pity for trash, Nanami just wants something in return, Nanami will regret her choice and hate Tsumiki even more. With some effort, Tsumiki pushed these thoughts to the back of her head and decided to focus on getting herself to heal.

Nanami held out her hand, and Tsumiki took it. Wobbling on one leg, Tsumiki tried to steady herself on a tree while Nanami slipped her arm around Tsumiki's waist. Tsumiki shifted some of her weight off of her left leg onto Nanami's shoulder and gripped Nanami's arm as hard as she dared.

"Do you think you can walk?" Tsumiki nodded. "Even though it hurts, I don't think the sprain is that serious so I should be okay... e-especially with your help." Tsumiki felt her cheeks grow hot and turned her head away, hoping her blush was obscured by her hair. "T-thank you, again, Nanami-san."

"You're welcome." Nanami took a moment to enjoy the heat of Tsumiki's side pressed up against hers, and took a step forward.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there's some very brief insinuations of abuse in this one so if you're sensitive to that, please be aware. following chapters will probably have some too because of tsumiki's terribly abuse-ridden backstory, just a heads up

Just as dusk began to fall and Tsumiki felt she couldn't handle much more walking, Nanami stopped.

"Look up there." Nanami pointed to a nearby tree. Nestled in the branches, there was a tiny wooden structure, definitely man made. Thick wooden boards nailed to the trunk led up into an opening in the bottom platform.

"Do you think there's anyone living up there?" Tsumiki craned her neck to get a better look. "I don't see any movement... Maybe they're out looking for something, or it's abandoned."

Nanami tested the first step. "In either case, I don't think you're getting up here with that ankle. I'll go up and see if there's anything we can use." Nanami began to climb up.

A little belatedly, Tsumiki shouted up to her, "be careful!"

Nanami spent several moments up in the treehouse, long enough to make Tsumiki worry.

"Nanami-san?" Not long after Tsumiki called her, Nanami appeared out of the dark entrance and started to climb down, slower than before. Tsumiki could see a blanket bulging with something slung over Nanami’s shoulder.

"You wouldn't believe it, there's a whole array of stuff up there!" Nanami reached the bottom, her usually calm voice raised a little in excitement. "Food, water, flashlights, blankets, clothes." Nanami set her blanket down and untied it, revealing its contents.

"There was even a cooler up there with ice in it to keep the water and some of the food cold." Inside the blanket, there was a lump of ice wrapped in some cloth, a packet of wafers, a hunk of cheese, two bottles of water, and a flashlight.

"I left the rest of the blankets up there because they're pretty bulky, I'll go back up there and throw them down." Tsumiki frowned slightly and Nanami giggled. "I'll try not to hit you, don't worry." Nanami climbed back up and before long the first blanket thumped down to the ground, Tsumiki jumping a little at the sudden impact. Nanami threw five more down then made her way back to the ground. Tsumiki noticed Nanami’s cheeks were flushed from the light exercise and a warm, bubbly feeling grew deep in her belly and tugged the sides of her mouth up into a smile.

“T-thanks for getting all of that stuff, Nanami-san!” Tsumiki bowed as much as she could in her current situation, still leaning against the tree for balance.

“Ah, no problem, Tsumiki-san… Let’s get your ankle iced.” Tsumiki couldn’t tell, but Nanami’s cheeks weren’t just red from exertion as she helped the injured girl sit on the forest floor.

Tsumiki adjusted the ice wrapped in cloth to lay against her ankle while Nanami shook out the blankets and tried to arrange them in a bed-like fashion, folding the thickest ones into two makeshift cots. She left two blankets as covers, and folded one lengthwise twice so it was able to function as a pillow for both of the girls.

As the sun set, the pair dined. They split the packet of wafers and broke off hunks of cheese from the giant slice, feeling the hunger pangs they didn’t even realize they had subside. The crunch of the wafer and sharp tang of the cheese makes Tsumiki forget momentarily that she is terrified of the future, that she doesn’t remember the past. All she knows now is the coolness of the ice and the satisfied feeling of fullness. All she knows is the wavering bond she feels to Nanami.

Of course, the present has to end somewhere, in limbo.

After eating, Tsumiki lies down and Nanami sits next to her, still playing whatever game she was before. Not much time passed before Tsumiki’s eyelids droop closed, the fatigue from the day finally becoming too much for her body. To the sound of Nanami’s console beeping, darkness swirls around her consciousness, and she becomes abstract. Feelings, people, places swirl through her mind, all blurry and painful like needles. Feelings of being hurt, abandoned, neglected fill her and threaten to make her burst. Rage and sadness surge through Tsumiki, but the only possible actions in the scenarios are to take care of herself, find a way to survive.

All of the dreams(?)  make Tsumiki feel small. It’s like she is seeing them through different eyes and yet the same all at once, parallel interpretations lined up in the confined space of her mind. Tsumiki feels an even heavier weight press down on her from a different place, an even more insidious one, but that is for a different time.

Slowly, she wakes up.

Tsumiki feels moisture on her ankle, and panics momentarily before realizing it’s just melted ice from the previous day still clinging to the linen it was once wrapped in. She sits up and sees Nanami already awake, folding a blanket.

“How did you sleep?” Tsumiki rubs at her eyes, still getting used to the sunlight.

“Okay, I guess… I didn’t have any dreams, I think. There is something… very strange, though.” Tsumiki felt a creeping sense of fear as she realized there was something in her mind that wasn’t there before.

“Oh? What is it?” Nanami is politely inquisitive, but there seems to be a hint of something in her voice that Tsumiki doesn’t recognize.

“I- it’s nothing, really. You don’t h-have to worry about it!” Tsumiki rushed to cover up the truth as best she could, even though it just ended up being more suspicious.

“O...kay?” Nanami was puzzled, but just as before, she didn’t want to make Tsumiki feel more uncomfortable than she already did. “...Anyway, I don’t think the person who uses the treehouse returned, so we should be okay if we just put the blankets back up there.” Nanami tried to smooth over the break in normal conversation, and Tsumiki jumped in, relieved.

“A-alright! I’ll help you fold! We can keep searching for other people, together!” Tsumiki smiled nervously, trying to convince the other girl that she was okay, really.

“Thanks. Oh, and I forgot to ask, how’s your ankle doing?” Tsumiki gave her ankle a few experimental rolls, then attempted to stand up with the help of a nearby tree.

“It’s doing a lot better, thank you! I think I’ll be able to walk, although not very fast and not for very long. I’ll wrap it back up to help with support. If we had access to medicine, I’d like to take something to help swelling but since we can’t I think this should suffice.” Tsumiki stopped as she realized she was babbling on about things she could do to help her ankle. “Ah, I’m sorry Nanami-san! Hearing me go on about treating a sprained ankle can’t be interesting…” Nanami laughed.

“It’s okay, at least I know if I get hurt I’ll have only the best to take care of me.” Tsumiki smiled back, a genuine smile on her face this time.

It was almost enough to distract her from the fact that she now had memories of her childhood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and so some actual plot finally begins to happen!  
> this is supposed to be fluff AND angst, after all ;3c


End file.
